1. Technical Field
This application relates to control of composite images composed of source images by use of HID (Human Interface Device) signals (e.g., from a mouse).
2. Related Art
In one known system, a personal computer (e.g., a “client”) receives image information from a remote computer (e.g., a “server”), and sends signal to the remote computer to request updated image information.
A “Remote Desktop” function is also known which controls a remote computer with a personal computer. Microsoft® Windows® XP has such a “Remote Desktop” function where a personal computer sends operations inputted from local user interfaces (e.g., a mouse and a keyboard), to a remote computer. A remote computer sends back image data processed with operations sent from the personal computer.
As will be appreciated, image information may be compressed when being sent between computers to reduce network load.
On the other hand, Japanese Patent Publication (Kokai) 8-297617 discloses a remote computer sending drawing instructions (instead of an image), to a personal computer where an image is processed using the received drawing instructions. The amount of data required for such drawing instructions is smaller than for an image, so network load can be reduced in this way as well. Virtual Networks Computing (VNC) uses the same concept.
For example, in a “Remote Desktop” a window can be provided in a viewer image sent from a terminal. A window can be moved and resized by user operations on the viewer. In addition, an object, such as a rectangular symbol in a window also can be moved and resized by user operations on the viewer.
On the other hand, in a multipoint video communication system, terminals exchange video signals and sound signals with each other. One way to develop a multipoint video communication system is called distributed multipoint communication, in which terminals are connected to each other. Another way is called integrated multipoint communication, in which terminals are connected to a server (e.g., an MCU or multipoint control unit) that composes images and sounds and sends composed information back to the terminals.
Hereinafter, an image sent from a terminal is called a “source image”.
Some examples of ways to determine source image position on a composed image are described in Japanese Patent Publication (Kokai) 8-297617 etc. One way is for an MCU to determine a source image position automatically. For example, an MCU may allocate equal space for each source image in a composed image. An MCU may also stretch one source image to a full window size and put other source images on a full window-sized source image (Picture-in-Picture). Another way is for a terminal to send position designation information to an MCU. A user may choose a position pattern from a plurality of predetermined patterns on a terminal, and the terminal can then send chosen position pattern information to an MCU.
It is also possible to combine a terminal and a viewer. That is, a terminal-viewer may send source image and position pattern information to an MCU which then generates a composed image based on source image and position pattern information, which image is then sent to a terminal-viewer. A user may resize source images in a composed image on a terminal viewer display. However, if a composed image size is reduced, sizes of objects in a source image on a composed image are also reduced and this may present problems.
For example, a source image may include some objects (e.g., a menu button of a web browser). However, such small objects may be difficult to be “clicked-on” within terminal-viewer display—especially if the image containing such objects is reduced in size.